This was William T. Sherman’s letter to the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.
An explanation of the subject/contents of the document:
These letters entail Sherman’s ideology of how peace cannot exist and prevail with current division amongst the North and the South.
*Analysis:
Sherman was one of the Union generals during the Civil War time period. They aimed to destroy the city of Atlanta, which was the main site of transportation (railroads) and manufacturing of goods. That city was very significant to the South, and that was a valid reason for Sherman, along with the other generals, to destroy it. When reading these letters, I found it surprising that a general actually cared about peace. Usually, they debate on whom is better: the Confederacy, or the Union. But, in this case, he lists reasons why he feels he has to take a violent step. Sherman feels that the South began the war in the first place, by attacking the forts from the North, and they took away some rights that the U.S. previously retained. Most of all, the people under the Confederacy’s control were completely mistreated, and even some were starved to death. The Americans had to take action and feed them to prevent starvation. “The United States does and must assert authority, wherever it once had power; for, if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I believe that such is the national feeling”. (Sherman 94-97) .
Sherman is emphasizing the fact that this long-lasting division is, in fact, producing turmoil on the United States control over the territories. They are being “let go”, since there is not one are that can have direct authority.
Citation:
Sherman, William. Why the North Must Fight. 1861. 94-97. Print.
Newspaper Articles (15 points)
Author:
Edwin M. Stanton
Date:
May 8th, 1864
Title:
Friday’s Battle: First Dispatch, Second Dispatch
Place of Origin:
The New York Times, VOL. XIII-3939
Brief Summary:
This newspaper article discusses the massive battle that took place the Wilderness Tavern at midnight on May 8th. There was much deserving success amongst the Army of the Potomac. This army was created as a defense mechanism against Washington, D.C. Congress didn’t want any interference with Confederate forces in that specific territory.
*Analysis:
Lincoln placed Grant in charge of all of the Union forces. Lee was basically a personal blockade for the Union to reach victory. Grant had few options to choose from, but he chose to go against Lee to bring the Union closer to victory. I knew that the Union has had several previous victories in battles, such as the Battle of Gettysburg. In that battle, Lee went against the Army or the Potomac, and failed to succeed. That was a huge turning point in the war that eventually led to Union victory. This article did not surprise me because Union triumph was common. “…and to conceal entirely the operations of the enemy, yet he has been signally repulsed in all his attacks, and nothing but the nature of the battlefield has prevented it from being a crushing defeat”. (Stanton 206-207) I felt that that particular statement, from the New York Times, was very insightful. The act of hiding the enemy’s tracks was nearly impossible, but then again, the opponents are in denial of their side of the fighting. The “nature of the battlefield” is referring to the aroma of tense feelings that were prevalent on the battlefield, that couldn’t be escaped. One question that I still have after reading this article is was there any way that Grant could have followed out Lincoln’s goal, by not engaging in attacks with General Lee.
Citation:
Stanton, Edwin. "Friday's Battle: Special Dispatches to the N.Y. Times." XIII-3939. Print.
This is a Civil War Photograph of crewmen of the U.S.S. Mendota that were off of their work shifts. They rarely ever got a chance to take photographs, so this was something that meant a lot to them.
*Analysis:
This ship that the crewmen were in, started to be used when the Union took over the coasts of the South. The Union Navy mostly worked on the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic. The dominant aspects of this photograph are the empty and lost face expressions of the men that were aboard the ship. They all look very bored and impatient, but back then photographs took up to five minutes to take. Also, there are so many men that had to all fit on the U.S.S. Mendota ship. This image is surprising to me because I would expect the crewmen to have more of a satisfied look upon their faces, since the Union had control over the Confederacy. On April 19th, 1861, Lincoln declared a Union blockade from all of the Confederate states. This was used as a prevention of trading amongst the two enemies. Also, the Union didn’t want Europe sending weapons to the Confederacy. If I could ask a question, concerning this photograph, I would ask, “were the men aboard the ship treated with dignity and respect and were they fully content with the world at that moment?”
Citation:
1862. James River. The Civil War. National Archives.
Song Lyric Template (15 points)
Author:
Daniel Emmet
Date:
1861
Title:
“Dixie’s Land”
Place of Origin:
This song originated from the 1850s. This was the time period, in which black American entertainment shows were prevalent. This song later increased in fame, and was adopted as the American Confederacy anthem.
*Analysis:
The title, “Dixie’s Land”, is in literal reference to the Southern confederate lands. Emmet was not completely in favor of the south, but the song gives off the biased viewpoints of a Confederate. He is describing the luxuries of the cotton-filled south, which he believed gave them the priority chance of victory in the war. Before this song was created, Lincoln was elected into office in the year of 1860. South Carolina seceded from the Union, as a result of his nomination to presidency. This song became popular at the beginning of the Civil War. In 1861, the Confederate forces fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Union forces soon surrendered. Lincoln ordered for more of his military men to lower the rebellion, which resulted in four other states to join Lincoln in the Confederacy. This song evokes a feeling of readiness and triumph for war. The definition of the title is the southern states that had previously seceded from the Union. Would the Confederate forces be beckoning the seceded states about joining them for no purpose? Was this an indirect military tactic on its own? It’s basically a source of inspiration for the seceded states to become a part of the confederacy. “Old Missus acted the foolish part
And died for a man that broke her heart!
Look away! Look away! Look away, Dixie's Land!”
These song lyrics are persuading forces to not turn back to the Union, since they have nothing to offer, and to turn to the Confederacy. Just like “Old Missus” sacrificed her life for a terrible man, soldiers would be committing a sin by siding with the Union.
Citation:
Emmet, Daniel. “Dixie’s Land”. Songs of the Civil War. 1991.
“The United States does and must assert authority, wherever it once had power; for, if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I believe that such is the national feeling”. (Sherman 94-97) .
Sherman is emphasizing the fact that this long-lasting division is, in fact, producing turmoil on the United States control over the territories. They are being “let go”, since there is not one are that can have direct authority.
Newspaper Articles (15 points)
I felt that that particular statement, from the New York Times, was very insightful. The act of hiding the enemy’s tracks was nearly impossible, but then again, the opponents are in denial of their side of the fighting. The “nature of the battlefield” is referring to the aroma of tense feelings that were prevalent on the battlefield, that couldn’t be escaped. One question that I still have after reading this article is was there any way that Grant could have followed out Lincoln’s goal, by not engaging in attacks with General Lee.
Image (15 points)
Song Lyric Template (15 points)
- The title, “Dixie’s Land”, is in literal reference to the Southern confederate lands. Emmet was not completely in favor of the south, but the song gives off the biased viewpoints of a Confederate. He is describing the luxuries of the cotton-filled south, which he believed gave them the priority chance of victory in the war. Before this song was created, Lincoln was elected into office in the year of 1860. South Carolina seceded from the Union, as a result of his nomination to presidency. This song became popular at the beginning of the Civil War. In 1861, the Confederate forces fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Union forces soon surrendered. Lincoln ordered for more of his military men to lower the rebellion, which resulted in four other states to join Lincoln in the Confederacy. This song evokes a feeling of readiness and triumph for war. The definition of the title is the southern states that had previously seceded from the Union. Would the Confederate forces be beckoning the seceded states about joining them for no purpose? Was this an indirect military tactic on its own? It’s basically a source of inspiration for the seceded states to become a part of the confederacy. “Old Missus acted the foolish part
These song lyrics are persuading forces to not turn back to the Union, since they have nothing to offer, and to turn to the Confederacy. Just like “Old Missus” sacrificed her life for a terrible man, soldiers would be committing a sin by siding with the Union.And died for a man that broke her heart!
Look away! Look away! Look away, Dixie's Land!”